On 19 and 20 February, AquaFarm and NovelFarm are back, the two simultaneous events on current and future food production trends, devoted to the breeding of aquatic species and the cultivation of algae, indoor crops, and vertical farming.

The 2020 edition will be totally geared to innovation and environmental sustainability
AquaFarm, now in its fourth edition, is the yearly appointment for operators of the whole aquaculture supply chain. Since its debut, it has been developed in collaboration with API and AMA, the two leading Italian associations in this sector.

The event bears witness to the growing role of aquaculture worldwide. According to the most recent data published by FAO, 53% of aquatic species destined for human nutrition worldwide are produced by farming, to which about 30 million tons of aquatic plants and macro and microalgae must be added. Overall consumption is estimated at 20.5 kg per person, with an average yearly increase of 3.2% from 1961 to today, surpassing both population growth and protein intake derived from terrestrial species. With the total number of fisheries products essentially at the levels of the late 1980s, growth is upheld and will be even more so in the future, by aquaculture.

An interesting fact emerging from the FAO survey is that half of the production from breeding is related to aquatic species that are defined as "extractive". They are the ones that get their nourishment filtering water from the environment; in this way they also use the waste produced by those species which must instead be nourished by man, thus achieving an integrated production and reducing the environmental impact. FAO and producers are relying heavily on these farms to combine sustainability and increased food production with aquaculture.

The 2020 program focuses on three themes. Environmental sustainability, intended both as a reduction of the impact of farming on the ecosystem and as a resilience of production in presence of environmental changes, not only climatic but also due to chemical and microplastic pollution. Research and innovation in all sectors of the supply chain with particular attention to cooperative projects at the European level. The finished product from aquaculture also narrated through tastings aimed at the distribution and to individual and collective catering

NovelFarm, at its second edition, is the international exhibition-conference event dedicated to innovation in Agritech sector, with in-depth information on soilless crops, the circular economy of new crops and the urban farming.

The NovelFarm 2020 conference program will analyze some challenges for our planet in the coming years, to which the agricultural innovation of soilless soil tries to give answers. Feeding the growing population by reducing food waste and the impacts of logistics and transport by bringing primary food production as close as possible to places of consumption; adopting cultivation methods that multiply the yields and guarantee maximum quality and stability of the organoleptic and nutritive characteristics.

In the exhibition area, companies will display systems for soilless cultivation and vertical farming, LEDs, biostimulants, biotechnologies, sensors, robots and automation systems.

Click here to check out our photo report of last year's edition

For more information:
Aquafarm
Viale Treviso, 1
33170, Pordenone (PN), Italy
aquafarm.show  

Marco Comelli
marco@studiocomelli.eu 
+39 347 8365191

Aurora Marin
aurora@studiocomelli.eu 
+ 39 347 1722820

Publication date: Mon 25 Nov 2019